The Foundational Questions Institute, styled FQxI (formerly FQXi), is an organization that provides grants to "catalyze, support, and disseminate research on questions at the foundations of physics and cosmology."[1] It was founded in 2005 by cosmologists Max Tegmark and Anthony Aguirre.[2] It is currently run by chief scientific officer David Sloan and chief operating officer Kavita Rajanna.[3] It has run multiple worldwide grant competitions (in 2006, 2008, 2010, 2013, 2015, 2017 and 2019), the first of which provided US$2M to 30 projects.[4] Across multiple large "Zenith" grant programs it has given out over $28 million in funding.[5] It also runs frequent essay contests open to the general public with $40,000 in prizes awarded by a jury panel and the best texts published in book format.[6]
FQxI is an independent, philanthropically funded non-profit organization, run by scientists for scientists.
The $6.2 million seed funding was donated by the John Templeton Foundation, whose goal is to reconcile science and religion. Tegmark has stated that the money came with "no strings attached"; The Boston Globe stated FQxI is run by "two well-respected researchers who say they are not religious. The institute's scientific advisory board is also filled with top scientists."[7] Critics of the John Templeton Foundation such as Sean Carroll have also stated they were satisfied that the FQxI is independent.[8][9]
There are five Nobel prize winners who are FQxI members: Gerard 't Hooft, Anthony Leggett, Frank Wilczek, Roger Penrose, and Anton Zeilinger.[10]
Notable members
editFQXi members include[11]
- Scott Aaronson
- Anthony Aguirre
- Yakir Aharonov
- John Carlos Baez
- Julian Barbour
- John D. Barrow
- Jacob Biamonte
- Raphael Bousso
- Sean Carroll
- David Chalmers
- Paul Davies
- David Deutsch
- George F. R. Ellis
- Nicolas Gisin
- Brian Greene
- Sabine Hossenfelder
- Robert Lawrence Kuhn
- Seth Lloyd
- Roger Penrose
- Lisa Randall
- Martin Rees
- Carlo Rovelli
- Lee Smolin
- Leonard Susskind
- Gerard 't Hooft
- Max Tegmark
- Vlatko Vedral
- Steven Weinberg
- Frank Wilczek
- Stephen Wolfram
- Anton Zeilinger
- Wojciech Zurek
Among others
References
edit- ^ About the Foundational Questions Institute
- ^ Schwarzchild, Bertram (December 2005). "News notes: Foundational Questions Institute". Physics Today. 58 (12): 31. Bibcode:2005PhT....58T..31F. doi:10.1063/1.2169440.
- ^ "Our Team". FQxI. Retrieved 2024-09-27.
- ^ Merali, Zeeya (2007-11-15). "Is mathematical pattern the theory of everything?". New Scientist. Reed Business Information.
- ^ "Achievements". FQxI. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
- ^ "Essay Contest page". fqxi.org. Retrieved 13 February 2023.
- ^ "Initiative will join physics, theology". Boston Globe. 31 July 2006. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ Epstein, David (1 August 2006). "Separation of Church and Science". Inside Higher Ed. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ "Foundational Questioners Announced". Sean Carroll (blog). 31 July 2006. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
- ^ "Membership". FQxI. Retrieved 2024-10-03.
- ^ "FQxI Membership". Retrieved 27 January 2020.